Club Brugge 1-5 Manchester City: 5 talking points as Sky Blues deliver five-star performance | UEFA Champions League 2021-22
Manchester City returned to winning ways in the Champions League in resounding fashion after trouncing Club Brugge 5-1. Goals from Joao Cancelo, Riyad Mahrez, Kyle Walker, Cole Palmer and Mahrez secured the Premier League holders a huge win in Brussels. Hans Vanden pulled a consolation goal back for the hosts late on.
The Sky Blues dominated the match from the beginning. Only some resolute defending from Brugge kept City from going into the break with a scoreline higher than 2-0. However, the visitors' pressure paid off after the break, as they bagged three more goals, all on the counter, to complete an emphatic win.
Club Brugge 1-5 Manchester City FT:
⚽ Joao Cancelo
⚽ Riyad Mahrez
⚽ Kyle Walker
⚽ Cole Palmer
⚽ Hans Vanaken
⚽ Riyad Mahrez
Brilliant in Brugge. https://t.co/RrpGuvbSVe
Having lost to PSG on matchday two, City needed a big performance here, and they got one on the night. On that note, here are the five key talking points from the game:
#5 Phil Foden is a special talent
Well, that's obvious by now, isn't it? Yet the Manchester City youngster served another reminder of his insane skills with another big performance, highlighted by his dime of a cross for Cancelo.
Spotting a gap in Brugge's defence, Foden, unmarked in midfield, lofted a mesmeric diagonal cross to pick out the Portuguese full-back, who did the rest. That was Foden's biggest 'David Silva' moment for City yet.
Foden ➡️ Cancelo
A beautiful pass from Phil Foden is finished off by a striker's touch and finish from their Portuguese full-back 👌
#UCL https://t.co/tNFUhi123P
It wasn't the only time Foden would make a long ball like that. There were six more instances, and although they came to nothing, City always looked better for them. Foden was unlucky not to have scored a goal himself despite making quite a few attempts. But that does little to mask a sprightly performance from the youngster.
#4 Riyad Mahrez making it difficult to keep him out of Manchester City's XI
Riyad Mahrez has impressed a lot with Manchester City since arriving from Leicester City in 2018. But he still hasn't nailed down a starting spot in Pep Guardiola's XI. That might change now, with the Algerian winger currently in a rich vein of form. He netted twice on the night to reaffirm his value to the side.
Riyad Mahrez has now scored 7 goals in his last seven #UCL games for Manchester City.
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Mahrez magic. https://t.co/B3LH3gZzkp
Mahrez doubled City's advantage from the spot in the first half with a cool penalty before bringing up his brace late on by rounding off a clinical counter. Adventurous, pacy and energetic, the 30-year-old was a menace for Brugge all night, and showed why he deserves to start every game for City.